Power tile press



May 29, 1923.

E. W. ZEH

POWER TILE PRESS Fi led Oct. 23, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet l O i K HHIIHHHH"INVENTOR.

A TORNEYS.

' May 29, 1923. "1,456,752

' E. W. ZEH

POWER TILE PRESS Filed Oct. 25 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

BY V MMMMMEYS.

May 29, 1923.' 1,456,752 E. w. ZEH

POWER TILE PRESS Filed Oct. 23, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 1 lllllj. 55 55INVENTOR.

I '0 C::1 i [E1 24 BY 30 2 ATTORNEYS.

E. W. ZEH

May 29, 1923. 1,456,752

POWER TILE PRESS Filed-Oct. 23, 1920 4 SheetsSheet INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS.

' Patented May 29, 1923.

PATENT orFlc EDMUND W. ZEH, F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

POWER TILE PRESS.

Application filed October 23, 1920. Serial No. 418,891.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDMUND V. ZEH, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Newark, in the county of Essexand State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements inPowerTile Presses, of which the following is aspecification.

Ihis invention relates more especially to tile presses in which an upperdie cooperates with a lower die comprising a central portion anda framearound said central portion -movable independently thereof, said frameforming with the central portion of the diea receptacle for-the materialto be pressed into tile. i

The objects of the invention are to provide a powertile press embodyingnovel features of construction which ,will produce tile of superiorquality and with a minimum expenditure of time and labor; to providenovel and improved means for reciprocating the frame as the tile isbeing pressed; to provide improved means; for automatically locking saidframe of the lower die as it is depressed by the upper die. so as tohold it down; to provide such means which will operate continuously asthe frame is depressed by successive steps; to utilize cams forsuch'loz-king means; to operate said cams automatically: to lock thecams against operation when the frame is elevated, and to release themby the initial downward movement of the frame; to secure means forcausing the upper die to impart to the tile a second blow without risingup out of the frame; to provide supplemental means for.

finally depressing the frame to release the tile; to restore the frameto its upper position automatically and by springs as soon as it isunlocked from its depressed position; to provide adjustable stop meansto deter ITLine the upper position of the frame and also its lowestposition flush with the central portion of the lower'die'to dischargeatile; to provide a tile press of the character described embodying aminimum number of simple moving parts which will withstand the wear andaction of the dust incident to the manufacture of tile, andto obtainother results and advantages as may be brought out in the followingdescription.

Referring to theacoompanying drawings,

in which like numerals of reference indicate the same parts throughoutthe several views,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a tile press" Figure 3 is a fragmentaryview of the lower portion of the press, the lower die and bed of thepress being shown in section, and the upper die being shown compressinga tile in the lower die;

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 44;ofFig. 3;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1,thelower die, its frame and the bed of the press being shown in planview .Figure 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the lowerpart of the press showing the manner of forcing the frame of the lowerdie. downwardly into a position flush with the top of the centralportion of said die, and

Figure 7 is a similar view showing the manner of loading'the lower diewith the material. of which the tile are formed.

In the specific embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, 1indicates the bed of a press of my improved construction, supported uponsuitable legs 2. Upon said bed are spaced uprights 3, 3 between whichslides a cross-head 4 carrying the upper die 5. The lower die comprisesa central portion 6 fixed upon the bed 1 of the press, and a frame 7surrounding said central portion and fitting slidably thereon to move upand down. I have shown dies adapted to make one square tile at a time,but it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the shape andnumber of tiles made at a time are immaterial. I

The frame 7 is fixed, as by nuts 8, 9, upon the upper ends of supportingrods, 10, 10,

whichtextend slidably downward through spaced guideways at the top andbottom of t e bed 1 and extend somewhat belowsaid bedy Normally theframe is held in its uppermost position b helical springs 11, 11,

one on each of the re s 10 resting at its lower end on a bearing plate12 secured to the bottom of the bedl and pressing at its upper endagainst a washer 13 underlying a stop,

such as pin 14, on the rod 10 below the top of the hollow bed. Saidsprings thus tend always to force the frame upward, and its uppermostposition is determined by suitable stops, those which I have shown andprefer to use comprising bolts 15, 15 on opposite sides of each of thesupporting rods 10, said bolts being fast in the top of the bed 1 andprojecting up through a plate 16 secured to the frame and provided eachwith a head 17 above said plate. As shown, the plates 16 are on thesupporting rods 10, between the frame and one of its clamping nuts 8 and9, preferably the lower one, and each plate is parallel to the adjacentside of the frame so that its ends project beyond the car 18 of theframe which takes the supporting.

rod, to receive the bolts 15, 15, see Figures 4 and 5. Said bolts screwinto the bed 1, so that they are adjustable in height to determine theuppermost position of the frame as desired, lock nuts 19 being providedon said bolts to make them fast when adjusted. It

will be understood that the uppermost position of the frame is such thatit extends above the central fixed portion 6 of the lower die, so as toform therewith a mold or chamber for the dust or material to becompressed into tile, as shown in Figure 2.

When the upper die 5 descends it first enters the frame 7 enough to sealthe top of the said mold or chamber formed thereby with the centralfixed portion 6, and then further downward movement of said upper die istransmitted to the frame so as to carry that down also as the dust ormaterialds compressed into a tile. the parts being at the end of thestroke in the positions shown in Figure'3. For thus moving the framedown- Ward, I provide at the underside of the cross head 1, on oppositesides of the die 5, depending projections 20. 20 of sufficient length toengage the frame 7 and move it as described; preferably, saidprojections are in the form of bolts, screwed into the base 21 of theupper die and provided with lock nuts 21 so that they are adjustable tovary "the time of their engagement with the frame as related to the timethe upper die enters said frame and thus vary the seal above referredto. 7

When the upper die is raised, aftercompression of the'tile is completed,it is neces sary that the frame 7 retain its position, without elevationby the springs 11, 11, or be locked against moving upward, and Iaccomplish this, automatically. by the following means. Beneath the bed1 and in line with the depending ends of the frame supporting rods 10,10, (one of them being apertured for the purpose, see Figures 3 and 4),is a horizontal shaft 22, mounted in bearings 23, 23 depending from thebearing plate 12 and a bearing 24 in one of the legs 2, so as to projectat the side of the press. This shaft 22- has fast upon itself wedgingcams 25, 25, one adjacent each of the depending supporting rods 10, 10and having a shoulder 26 overlying a roller 27 laterally projecting fromthe end of the rod, see Figures 3, 4 and 6. Each shoulder has at oneend'a pocket 28 in which the roller 27 of its adjacent supporting rod iscaught when the frame is normally elevated by its springs 11, 11, andthe end of the cam shaft 22 which projects at the side of the press hasa lever 29 with a Weight 30 which tends to turn the cams so that thepockets'28 leave the rollers 27 and eccentric portions 31 of theshoulders 26 engage said rollers. Thus when the frame 7 is forced downby the upper die as it forms the tile, as described above, the saideccentric portions 31, which are of increasing radial distance,wedgingly engage the rollers and hold the frame down when the upper dieis raised. It will also be noted that this locking action takes placeautomatically, by virtue of the weight 30.

After the upper die is raised, upon completion of the compression ,ofthe dust or material into a tile, it is necessary to further depress theframe 7 the thickness of the tile, or until the top of the frame isflush with the top of the central portion 6 upon which the tile lies,inorder to discharge said tile, and this I do by the power of the pressthrough the introduction of some supplemental means between the upperdie and the frame 7 so that the pressure is transmitted to said framewithout the pressed tile receiving any. As an illustration of such'means, I have shown a loading box 32. containing dust or material tofill the lower die resting upon a shelf 33 on the front of the frame 7,see Figures 2, 5, 6 and 7 the sides of this loading box. at its end nextthe press, being provided with arms 34, 3t which lie at their free endsupon the sides of the frame 7, as shown in Figures 2 and 5. Theoperator, when he is ready to finally depress the frame to discharge thetile. pushes the loading box 32 toward the press enough to cause theends of the arms 34, 34 to underlie the bolts 20, 20 on the upper die.and then upon again bringing down said upper die the frame 7 will befurther depressed by said bolts striking said arm ends resting upon theframe, as shown in Figure 6. Of course the ends of the. arms must bethick enough so that the upper die will not touch the tile at this time.and as the frame lowers the cams 25 automatically look it'down there. sothe upper die can be raised at once. This final position of the frame 7is preferably determined by adjustabl stops, which I have shown as bolts35, projecting from the top of the bed 1, into which they screw, andprovided with lock nuts 36, 36. 1

tion of the lower die, and bothfiush with the. shelf 33, the operatorslides forward the loadingbox 32 until it registers with the centralportion of the die, as shown in Figure 7, the front end of said boxpushing the com pressed tile onto a conveyor 37 which carries it off,said" conveyor being also flush with the top of the frame, centralportion and shelf. Then the operator raises the weighted lever 29, andallows the springs 11, 11 to automatically elevate the frame 7 to itsnormal position, the rollers 27 entering the cam pockets 28 so that theframe is locked in such elevated normal position and the cams are idle.This upward movement of the frame 7 carries the loadingbox with it andthe dust or material in said box drops through its mesh bottom and fillsthe mold or chamber of the lower die formed by the elevated frame withthe fixed central portion. The loading box is then withdrawn onto theshelf .33 again, and the press is ready to operate to compress anothertile in the same manner as has been described.

The upper die 5 of my improved tile press can be reciprocatedby, anysuitable means adapted tocause said upper die to strike percutient blowsupon the material in the lower die, although I have shown the cross head4 which carries it secured to the screw 38 of a percussion screw pressof a suitable and well-known type adapted to be operated by power. Ithas been found that two blows upon the dust or material being formedinto a tile are desirable to properly compress the same and expel theair, and, as the upper die must not be withdrawn from the frame of thelower die for the second blow, I have provided means by which the saidscrew 38 can move independently of the upper die and far enough towithdraw upwardly after the'firstblow and descendupon the upper die witha second blow. Referring to Figure 2 it will be seen that I haveprovided the screw 38 'with an enlarged head 39 whichlies in acylindrical socket 40 iinthe cross.

head 4 and is held against withdrawal bya keeper plate 41, forming aswivel connection. The head 39 thus has a limited movement independentof the cross head. and for the second blow the screw is withdrawn fornot more than this limited distance and then brought down again againstthe bottom of the socket 40. This enables a second blow to be struckwithout breaking the, seal formed by the upper die with the frame 7,

and yet said upper die can be moved up and down with respectwto thelower die, when desired, as usual.

While I have shown and described one pos- I sible embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that this is for the purpose ofillustrating the principles thereof only, and

I I L it will be-obvious that many modifications and changes can be madeinthe detail construction of my press and its various parts bythoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of theinvention. Therefore, I do not desire to be limited in the constructionand use of my invention except as required by the following claims whenconstrued in the light of theprior art.

Having thus I claim is: i

1. In a power tile press, the combination of a lower die to receive thematerial of which the tile is to be formed, an upper die adapted tocooperate with said lower die described the invention, what to compressthe material, operatin means for moving the upper die into and out ofcontact with material in the lower'die, and means' for enablingsuccessive percutient blows to be struck upon the material while thedies are in contact therewith.

2. In a power tile press, the combination of a lower die to receive thematerial of which the tile is to be formed, an upper die adapted tocooperate with said lower die to compress the material, operating meansfor movingthe upper die into and out of con-- tact with .material in-thelower die, and means for striking successive 'percutient blows upon oneof said dies while in contact with the material. I

3. In astile press, the combination of a lower die' to receive thematerial of which the tile is to be formed, an upper die adapted tocooperate with said lower die to compress said material, a power elementto move the upper die into and out of engagement with the lower 'die,and means for connect ng the power eleinent to the-upper die so thatsaid power element may exert a percutient blow upon said upperdiewithout retraction of said upper die;

upper die into andout of the lower die, and means for-exertingsuccessive percutient blows upon said material while the-upper dieremains in contact with the material.

5. In a tile press, the combination of a lower die to receive thematerial of which I the tile is to be formed, an upper die adaptedtocooperate with said lower die, a reciprocating elementconnected withthe upper die forcau-sing it to strike perciitient blows upon materialin said lower die and having per'die, and means for reciprocating saidelement. 1 I

6. In a tile press the combination .of a support, a lower die mounted onsaid sup-- port to receive the material of which the tile a limitedmovement independent of said upis to be formed, an upper die adapted tocooperate With saidlower die, a screw threaded in said support, saidscrew having a swivel connection with the upper die to move it into andout of the lower die, said swivel connection allowing the screw to movelongitudinally independent of the upper die, and means for rotating saidscrew.

7. In a tile press, the combination of 'relatively'movable lower diemembers cooperating to receive the material to be compressed, an upperdie cooperating with said lower die members to move them one withrespect to another and compress the material,means for actuating saiddie members into normal position, means for exerting successivepercutient blows upon said upper die while in contact with the material,and means for automatically locking the lower die members in therelation into which they are moved by each of said blows.

8. In a tile press, the combination of relatively movable cooperatingdie members to receive the material to be compressed, means foractuating said die members into normal position, means cooperating withsaid die members to compress said material, said meansmoving said die.members out of normal position, and means for holding said die membersin said last-mentioned position against said actuating means for movingthe said die members into normal position.

9. In a tile press, the combination of relatively movable cooperatingdie members to receive the material to be compressed, means cooperatingwith said die members to compress said material, said means causingrelative movement of said die members during the pressing operation, andmeans for automatically locking said die members in the relation towhich they are so moved.

10. In a tile press, the combination of relatively movable cooperatingdie members to receive the material to befcompressed, means cooperatingwith said die members to compress said material, said means causingrelative movement of said die members during the pressing operation, andmeans for positively holding said die members in the position to whichthey are moved, said holding means being automatically thrown intooperation by relative movement of said die members. a

11. In a tile press,-the combination of relatively movable cooperatingdie members to receive the material to be compressed, means cooperatingwith said die members to compress sald materlal, said meanscausingzrelative movement of saiddie members during the pressingoperation, locking means for holding sai die members in the position towhich they are moved, and means for normally maintaining said lookinmeans in inoperative position and throwing the same into operativeposition upon said relative I rece1ve the material to be compressed,means cooperating with said die members to compress said material bysuccessive blows, said means causing relative movement of said diemembers during the pressing operation, and locking means forholding saiddie members in the position to which they are moved and allowing them tomove further.

13. Ina tile press, the combination of relatively movable cooperatingdie members to receive material to be compressed, means cooperatingivith said die members to compress said I material, said means causingrelative movement of the die members during the pressing operation, anda cam for locking the moving die member as it is moved.

14. In a tile press, the combination of relatively movable cooperatingdie members to receive material to be compressed, means cooperating withsaid die members to compress,

said material, said means causing relative movement of the die membersduring the pressing operation, and a gravity operated cam for lockingthe moving die member as it is moved. I

15. In a tile press, the combination of relatively movable cooperatingdie members to receive material to be compressed, means 00 operatingwith said die members to compress said material, said means causingrelative movement of the die members during the pressing operation, acam for locking the moving d1e, member as it 1s moved, and a Weightedhand lever for operating said cam;

16. In a tile press, the combination of relatively movable cooperatingdie'members to receive the material to be compressed, means cooperatingwith said die members to compress said material, said means causingrelative movement of said die members during the pressing operation, acam for locking the moving member as it is moved and normally held ininoperative position by said member, and means for automaticallythrowing said cam into operation upon said relative movement-of said diemembers.

17 In a tile press,.the combination of relatively movable cooperatingdie members to receive the material to be compressed, means cooperatingwith said die members to compress said matcrial, said means causingrelative movement of said die members during the pressing operation, acam locking the moving member as it is moved and normally held ininoperative position by said member, and gravity operated means forswinging said cam into. operative position upon relative movement ofsaid die members.

18. In a tile press, the combination of relatively movable cooperatingdie members to I to compress said material, said means caus-' receivethe material to be compressed, means for actuating said die members intonormal position, means cooperating. with said die members to compresssaid material, said means moving said die members out of normalposition, a cam for'locking the moving member as it is moved andnormally held in inoperative position thereby, and means for throwingsaid cam into operative position upon movement of said die members tohold the said die members against the action of said actuating means formoving the die members into normal position.

19. In a tile press, the combination of relatively movablecooperatingdie members to receive the material to be compressed, means foractuating said die members into normal position, means cooperating withsaid die members to compress said material, said means moving said diemembers out of normal position, a cam having a pocket, an .element onthe moving die member engaging said cam and normally lying in saidpocket said element adapted to leave said pocket upon relative movementof the die members, and means for automatically moving the cam intoengagement with said element.

20. In a tile press, the combination of a lower die having a movableframe, an upper die adapted to'depress said frame, rods extending fromsaid frame slidably into the bed of the press, springs on said rodsnormally holding the frame upward, cams arranged and adapted to hold therods down as they are depressed, and means for automati-' callyoperating said cams as the frame is de-- pressed.

21. In a tile press, the! combination of a lower diehaving a movableframe, an upper die adapted to depress said frame, rods extending fromsaid frame slidably into the bed of the press, springs on said rodsnormally holding the frame upward, a cam shaft projecting at one side ofthe press,

cams on said shaft arranged and adapted to; hold the rods down as theyare depressed,

and a weighted lever on said shaft for auto matically engaging said camsas the frame is depressed.

22. In a tile press, the combination of relatively movable cooperatingdie'members to receive the material to be compressed, means cooperatingwith said die members ing relative movement of said die members duringthe pressing operation, and means actuated by said die cooperating meansfor causing further relative movement of said die members in the-samedirection. I

23. In a tile press, the combination of relatively-movable lower diemembers to receive the materialto be com ressed, an upper die tocooperate .With sai lower die members, said upper die causing relative xmovement of said lower die members during the pressing operation, andmeans adapted to be interposed between said upper die and lower diemembers for causing further relative movement of. said die members inthe same direction.

24. In a tile press, the combination of relatively movable cooperatingdie members to receive the material to be compressed, means cooperatingwith said die members to compress said material, said means causingrelative movement of said die members during the pressing operation, aloading boxfor filling the die members with material, and means on saidloading box adapted to be actuated by said die cooperating means tocause further relative movement of said die members in the "samedirection.

25. In a tile press, the combination of a lower die having a movableframe, an upper die adapted to cooperate with said lower die and depresssaid frame, a loading box movable up and down with said frame and movable toward and away from the'frame horizontally, and means on saidloading box to be projected between the upper die and frame to causefurther downward movement of the frame when the upper die is againlowered.

26. In a tile press, the combination of relatively movable die'membersforming'a die chamber to receive the material to be compressed, acooperating die adapted to enter said die chamber. and to cause relativemovement of said the members, and ad ustable means for limiting theentry of said 00-.

operating die into said die chamber.

27. In a tile press, the combination of relatively movable die membersforming a die chamber to receive the material to be compressed, acooperating die adapted to enter said die chamber and to cause relativemovement of said die members, and adjustable stops on the bed ofthepress ,for limitliong said relative movement of the die memers.

28. In a tile press, the combination of a lower die having a movableframe, an upper die adapted to cooperate with the lower die and movesaid frame downward, and means adjustably connecting said frame to thebed ofthe press to limit its upward movement.

- 29. Ina tile press, the combination with a lower die having a movableframeQSupporting rods extending from said frame slidably into the bed ofthe press, a cross plate on each of said supporting rods adjacent theframe, and bolts extending slidably through the opposite ends of each ofsaid cross plates and threaded-into the bed of the press, whereby upwardmovement of the frame can be adjustably limited.

30. In a tile press, the combination of relatively movable cooperatingdie members to receive material to be compressed, means cooperating withsaid die members to compress said material, said means causing relativemovement of the die members during the pressing operation, and anautomatically operating cam for locking the moving die member as it ismoved.

31. In a' tile press, the combination of relatively movable cooperatingdie members 7 to'receive material to be compressed, means cooperatingwith said die members to compress said material, said means causingrelative movement of the die members during the pressing operation, aWedging cam for locking the moving die member as it is moved, and meansfor automatically engaging said cam.

' EDMUND W. ZEH.

